Time for a new bike, I’m looking at an Emonda SLR. I can either take it stock from Trek with ProjectOne in which case a Quarq DZero is included at no cost over the Dura Ace drivetrain. I don’t know why, perhaps something to do with SRAM sponsoring TFR next year
The alternative would be to buy the frame and build the bike up, in which case I can pick whatever PM I want. I have Stages Left on my current bike now, so was looking at perhaps Stages L/R since I’m familiar with it. I’m open to any suggestions, but want something lightweight, dual sided and prefer crank/spider since I think they seem to just work.
in another thread stevemz opened my eyes to Power2max, it took me about 10 minutes to figure out how to configure NGeco for Shimano chainrings. I think the total cost including crank arms was under $700, so it was a bit cheaper than Stages LR Ultegra 8000.
Here you go:
I’m happy with Stages LR Ultegra 8000 on Trek Domane. Installed it myself in a few minutes.
I would gently steer you away from stages L/R only because it isn’t price competitive with other options. Take a look at DC Rainmaker’s power meter guide for the year:
Stages isn’t a bad choice, but there are better options for most use cases, particularly if you’re trying to min:max your bike budget
Price for me isn’t really a consideration. I’m most interested in accuracy/reliability and aesthetics.
For accuracy DC Rainmaker doesn’t really discourage any of these PMs, it doesn’t seem like there is a bad choice in that regard.
For reliability I’m hoping the community here can give insights into their experiences, both good or bad. I know Gen 1 Stages had a bunch of issues with battery doors and the early units from the Vector 3’s had problems. Lately I’ve not heard much noise about PM’s having problems, which is a good thing. Quarq used to be the go-to for “it just works” power meters, but it doesn’t seem like they have a monopoly on that anymore.
For aesthetics, both Stages and 4iii are pretty stealth in that they use the existing Dura Ace crankset. Both Quarq and P2M make pretty significant visual changes to the bike.
From an accuracy perspective, I had a really bad experience with Stages for both power spikes as well as just general accuracy. I had the left only unit and I basically had to throw out all of the data after finding out that it was more than 25w off my Quarq (where I have almost perfect 50/50 leg balance) and other known baselines. Customer support for the power spikes was unhelpful and dismissive. Pretty much turned me off the brand for good.
My Quarq and my P2M are within 5w of each other and they just work. The batteries don’t go dead randomly, they calibrate properly and they are consistent.
I’ve did an Emonda SLR Project One at the end of last year and put a Quarq DZero on it. I had to pay about $1000 on top as there wasn’t an option to swap it out for the Dura-Ace crank, so the current deal sounds amazing. I would go for it. The DZero has been flawless this past year both outdoors and on the trainer.
Separately, I’m interested in hearing how other Trek shops are handling Project One builds. I did my build through my local shop. They were offering a $500 discount on Project One builds at the time, but on the final invoice there seemed to be a lot of nickel and diming. Examples are $10 to install chain, $10 to install latex tubes, $25 for DI2 wiring, etc.
DCR does a fantastic job and I obviously trust his reporting and testing. With that comes white glove treatment from most brands, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the units that he receives have gotten a little more TLC from the quality control department.
Harsh. Stages should have replaced yours under warranty. Hey I understand you had a bad experience, but DCR’s current Stages LR was purchased for one of his test bikes. He had no problem taking Stages to task over gen1 issues, or calling out some connectivity issues with gen2.
For color commentary on potential issues with any DCR reviewed gear, I always read the comment section of the review.
I wasn’t knocking DCR at all; he is the gold standard for reviews in the space and I think he operates above board very well and I also look at his reviews first. I was more pointing out that it’s in any company’s best interest to spend as much time making sure that he has a good experience and has an accurate unit.
It’s good to know that he purchased the L/R unit for himself and likes it, that’s obviously a strong endorsement that goes beyond just his review.
I have had a a Quarq for 4 years. Terrific in all respects - consistency of reporting and easy to use (e.g. change the battery and update the firmware). And the customer service is FANTASTIC! . . . mind blowing opposite experience vs the SRM I had for several years prior and their customer DIS-service center.
My son, who was a strong collegiate racer, has the Stages. He has had several issues and spent numerous hours with Stages. They are substantially better than SRM (they try to be nice), but from our experience are not in the same league, both quality and service-wise, as Quarq.
Yeah, I read that before pulling the trigger and buying gen3 LR. It has been flawless in my limited experience, just like with gen2 left-only.
In retrospect, after seeing your recent post on p2max being lowest cost crank option, I really dug into their annoyingly complex website and realized p2max would have saved me $110 (posted above) over Stages. On the other hand, Quarq, Pioneer, and 4iiii cost $250+ more than Stages. If I had a do over for my Trek Domane, I’d get the p2max NG eco posted above.
I just don’t see a reason not to go with a P2M NG Eco, personally. DCR has signed off on its accuracy. It doesn’t come with some of the additional features of other units, but I’m not sure any of that stuff is all that useful. All I care about is dual leg power.
That’s a really good deal, just get the Quarq, it just works…all the time. I’ve had a DZero since they came out, and not a single issue. Also, if you do have an issue, Quarq is known to have the best customer service in the industry.
